We have been gluten free for the past couple weeks (holy whoa does my tummy feel good), and I want to keep it up while my in-laws are here for a week. Danny doesn't think it's possible and that we should drop it while they're here, but I am determined! So I need ideas for hearty, rich tasting meals where they won't miss the gluten, and will still be super impressed at how tasty vegan food can be. I have only cooked for them once and that was like three years ago, so they still need some convincing.

I am going to make tacos with fried tofu, cabbage, avocado, pickled red onion, and chipotle aioli one night, but would like two or three other options for the nights we don't go out. Maybe something with mashed potatoes and gravy one night? Is there an awesome gf gravy?

_________________my roommate spilled tuna juice on the bathroom floor while he was eating on the toilet! should i bleach the floor or just tear up the tile? - acrVegan Coloradical

hooray for feeling so awesome be'n xgfx, abbierae - and for wanting to share xgfx awesomenesses with your in-laws!

we looooove Desdemona's best mushroom gravy - we just make it with chickpea or white rice flour. it's oh-so yummy! might i also add that broccoli pots (from Appetite For Reduction) are mighty awesome with Desdemona's gravy on top.

do you have Viva Vegan!? because i have served the portobello feijoada many times to omnis (we serve it over some cilantro-lime rice) and it goes over so well every time (especially with extra cilantro and scallions on top). i find that a lot of Viva Vegan! recipes are easy to make gluten-free (for instance we make the portobello feijoada with TVP) and oh-so delicious.

a sushi night might be kinda fun, too (think avocado-roasted asparagus rolls, cucumber rolls with a spicy sriracha-vegenaise schmear, carrot-cucumber-avocado rolls, sweet potato-sesame seed rolls drizzled with agave nectar, shiitake mushroom rolls, etc.!) - just use tamari instead of soy sauce for sushi dipping! you could even make miso soup (just make sure the miso is gluten-free) and maybe some small salads with a nice ginger dressing.

Good question! For me the concern is how I can impress dates, or I guess I should say, how I can cook for them without scaring them away. I try to keep things as simple as possible. Sticking to foods from one country and going all out is a good route. Middle eastern mezze dishes come to mind, and you can round out a simple meal fairly easily by adding storebought things like hummus and stuffed grape leaves to the spread. It's more effort of course, but making lots of little dishes can ensure that even if your guests don't like something or think it's weird, they'll still have plenty of other things to fill up on. Dishes that come to mind for me include the moussaka from Veganomicon (I used gluten-free bread crumbs, and my family loved it), red curry with veggies and tofu on rice, and Chinese stir fries made with wheat-free Tamari instead of regular soy sauce. Also, vegan shepherd's pie with veggies and beans under the potato might work well. If you have individual-sized ramekins to serve it in it'll look pretty snazzy. For me that's the main hurdle with making gluten-free vegan food for omnivores - everything tastes great, but tends not to look very impressive. Garnishing with parsley and other fresh herbs does wonders.

Piggybacking on Freaks' comment, have you noticed how people always seem more receptive to food when it falls under a declared theme? If you have a dinner night drawing from a specific culture, suddenly whether or not the dish is vegan and gluten free is unimportant.

Also consider what dishes are naturally gluten free or don't require products the in laws would be unaccustomed to the taste of (i.e. gluten free pasta, mock meats). Polenta- made creamy, maybe with pumpkin or sweet potato, and topped with an herby mushroom chestnut ragout, or smokey, garlicy collards and black beans, or ratatouille; prepared as lasagna; made into mini pizzas.Moroccan tagine using quinoa in place of couscous.Faux eggplant parmesan. Risotto.Baked vegetables stuffed with risotto or rice/grain/legume pilaf.Chili, with multiple kinds of beans, with gluten free cornbread.Jambalaya.Stews and soups.Enchilada casserole.Tamales.Socca.Caribbean inspired coco rice, rice and peas, pastelles, cassava oildown, plantains.Bibimbap.

I was assuming they'd be put off by tofu/tempeh, but if they're not, this opens so many more doors!